Drop Shot Rig – The Best Soft Plastic Set Up!

Smallmouth Bass Drop Shot

If you want to start “Kraken” bass, here are the ins and outs of how to set up and use a drop shot rig. The drop shot is a great method for fishing all types of situations. I’ve fished numerous times where nothing else seemed to work. The drop shot is a great presentation to get tight lipped bass to bite!  You will become a master at throwing a drop shot after reading this post. My hope is it will help you “krack” more fish.




 Drop Shot Rig

Why the Drop Shot Rig Works

This is the ultimate rig for getting those finicky bass to bite. A drop shot puts the bait right at the bass’ eye level while the weight rests on the bottom. There are two main reasons why I feel this rig works so well. The first reason is a drop shot lets you keep your bait in one place, giving the bass plenty of time to get tempted into biting. The other reason I like a drop shot rig is it allows your soft plastic baits to have more action while they suspend off the bottom. Soft plastics just move differently when suspended in the water attached with lighter hooks. You can also get away with hooking your soft plastics differently on a drop shot. This can create just the right presentation to get a bass to eat your bait.

When to use the Drop Shot Rig

I have a simple algorithm I follow for deciding on when to throw a drop shot. If I’m fishing deep, nothing beats a drop shot for getting your bait down to the bottom fast. I also have found it performs better for me in clear water. Clear water bass are such visual feeders. The drop shot gets the bait to move in just the right way to get those clear water bass to bite. The other deciding factor for is if the bass aren’t very active. I’ve had the most success with a drop shot when the fish are in cold water temperatures during the months of late fall, winter, and early spring. Here is a picture of a solid Largemouth bass I caught fishing deep, clear, and cold water when the bass were slowing down for the year.

drop shot rig largemouth bass
The Drop Shot Rig Caught this solid bass

How to use a Drop Shot Rig

The key to using a drop shot rig is to visualize what your bait is doing at all times. Let the weight drop to the bottom, then slowly pull up the slack in the line (making sure you can still tell the weight is on the bottom). With the weight on the bottom, and the line tight, your bait is suspended above the floor. Leave it there, shake your rod tip, or let your line go slack and pull it tight again. Vary your retrieve based on what you think the bass would like the bait to do. Keep your weight in one spot until you can’t stand it any longer, then move it to another spot. Some people actually like to just keep the drop shot rig straight up and down under the boat if you are fishing deep. Locate some fish on your fish finder and drop it right on top of them to see if you can get one to bite.

What you need:

I like to use 6 – 10lb  fluorocarbon fishing line with a spinning rod & reel. You only need three more things to get rigged up with a drop shot on your rod.

  1. Drop Shot Weight: They make weights specifically designed to clip on your line. I personally prefer the slender weights because I feel they don’t get hung up on the bottom as much.
  2. Hook: I like to use a size 2 Gamakatsu drop shot hook, or a size 1 finesse Gamakatsu hook. You want something light, but strong to catch that bass when he bites.
  3. Soft Plastic Bait: The bait selection is endless for things to use on a drop shot. My all around favorite is the Jackall Crosstail Shad, but other popular baits are robo worms, and senko’s. Strike King makes a dream shot bait I also really like to use.

How to set up a Drop Shot Rig

Rigging this up isn’t as difficult as it seems. All you have to do is tie a palmor knot, and connect your weight on the tag end of the line. The biggest key is you must have your hook point facing up when you pull your line tight. Here is a crude and simple illustration I found on Pinterest to illustrate how to rig it up.

Drop-shot-rig-diagram
Diagram of tying up the Drop Shot Rig

Hopefully, this information will get you crushing bass on a Drop Shot Rig. The drop shot is a solid fish catcher. It can be employed all year long to get those deep water bass to bite. Please share this post with others who are looking to improve their bass fishing, and thanks for reading!
There is nothing more fun than sharing the outdoors and the awesomeness of bas fishing.

As Always,

Stay Stoked!


Gear for Drop Shotting:

To get you drop shotting, here are some links where you can pick up all the gear mentioned above.

Hooks:

Gamakatsu Drop Shot/Split Shot Hook-6 Per Pack (Red, 2)       Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hook-6 Per Pack (Black, 1/0)

Weights:

Drop Shot Weight 1/4 oz.      3/8 Finesse Lead Drop Shot Weights Hand Poured (10 per pack)

Baits:

Roboworm Straight Tail Worm Bait (Prizm Shad, 4 1/2-Inch)                Strike King KVD Dream Shot Bait, Watermelon Red Flake, 4-Inch

Line:

Seaguar Abrazx 100% Fluorocarbon 200 Yard Fishing Line (6-Pound)

Rod & Reel:

Quantum Blu 40 Spinning Reel            Wright and McGill Skeet Reese Drop Shor/Spil Shot Fishing Rod
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